WELCOME TO W. HARVEY & SONS

We sell our whole range of products to wholesalers, shops, caterers, hotels and households. Crab and crabmeat is a key part of our business. We also sell lobsters, craw fish, scallops and spider crab to all our lovely customers locally, nationally and worldwide.

Why not share an order with a friend or work colleague. We are confident that you won't beat our prices and our quality!

FOR DELIVERY OR IN-STORE COLLECTION PLEASE SCROLL DOWN TO OUR ONLINE SHOP!

Our order cut off time for next day delivery of live and stock items is 10:00 AM for a next day before noon courier. Of course, this is all subject to weather and availability. We ship in polyboxes and icepacks to keep our products chilled from shop to your door.

W. Harvey & Sons are Shellfish Merchants that have sourced, cooked and traditionally handpicked crabmeat and a variety of shellfish in Newlyn, Cornwall since 1955. The business is still owned and managed by third and fourth generation descendants proud to be a small part in a 60 year old family business. Many of the suppliers are also in their 3rd and 4th generation. Core staff have given over 500 years of service and staff numbers reach 70 in season. The customer base grows year on year, further and further afield.

HANDPICKED

CORNISH CRAB

Crabs are the core part of our business. Live crabs are stored in our sea water holding tanks for the shortest period to ensure top quality for our customers. Our crab processing factories cook and process live crabs in to fresh cooked crabs, vacuum packed pasteurised crabs, vacuum packed frozen crabs, crab meats and dressed crabs. The majority or our whole cooked crabs are female but we are able to process whole male crabs when available.

CORNISH

LOBSTER

AUTHENTIC SHELLFISH

Lobsters are normally caught from spring through to late autumn and "rested" in our sea tanks for at least 24 hours before despatch. We only buy lobsters from The South Western Approaches. Some lobsters are net caught so we are able to supply "jumbo" lobsters for display purposes. Normally the smaller the lobster the higher the price.

Lobsters are freshly cooked to order within our factory. Seasonal supply and demand affect price dramatically so check our ONLINE SHOP for latest prices per kilo.

W. Harvey & Sons is a major south west shellfish merchant, buying crabs, lobsters, crawfish and spider crabs from vessels all over Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The business of W. Harvey & Sons is carried out at 3 sites in Newlyn, Cornwall. Our offices, retail shop and a processing factory are located in The Coombe over the river from St. Peters Church. Our storage tanks for 30 tons of live shellfish sit at the top of Sandy Cove next to the South or lighthouse Pier. Stable Hobba is home to our newest processing factory and our own maintenance facilities housed in a separate building. Each of us is extremely proud to be carrying on the traditions of a business set up and established by our family members. Living and working in a beautiful part of the world is one of the perks of the job!

FOUR GENERATIONS

OF TRADITION

The family run business began in 1955 when William Harvey and his three sons, Ronnie, Jack and Gerald, began selling crab, lobster and crawfish. Now in its 60th year of trading the firm is run by the third and fourth generation descendants of William Harvey and, with a core staff of 53, is one of the largest UK shellfish providers.

NEWLYN HARBOUR

Harbour activity in Newlyn was first recorded in 1435 by the Bishop of Exeter. The port is now one of the largest fishing harbours in the UK and is the first 24/7 harbour available to boats fishing Southwest English waters. Newlyn harbour is home to potters, handliners, netters, scallopers, beam trawlers, multi-rig trawlers, the Penlee Lifeboat and acts as a port of refuge in bad weather. Floating moorings give berthing facilities for local and visiting yachts. The Harbour Master & his team are very helpful and run the harbour, fish market and surrounding areas for the benefit of a diverse group of stakeholders. Elected Harbour Commissioners from a wide background serve voluntarily to provide advice to the Harbour Master.

SHELLFISH RECIPES

Versatile and healthy, there are at least a thousand and one things to do with fresh shellfish, to whet your appetites we worked with Jamie and his team at Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar Newlyn and came up with a couple of recipes for you to try at home...

SEA STORY

POT LIFE

POTS, ROPES & BAITS

Strings of baited crab and lobster pots are shot overboard to sit on the sea bed and left for a minimum of 24 hours before hauling. Shellfish pots come in different styles, colours and sizes; every potter has his or her opinion of the best pot type. Shellfish pots are spaced out along a back-rope and then fastened together in a string. The number of pots in a string is set by the potter from singles to 100 depending on the size of the boats deck and area of fishing. The pot bait is generally low valued fish species or filleted fish frames. Gurnards used to be crab food before they became popular with chefs. Salted filleted mackerel frames are a lobsters favourite. However, if the shellfish doesn't want to eat it doesn't matter whats on the menu!

Shell-fishing is an environmentally sound fishery. It does not kill porpoises, dolphins or seals. Anything that is too small from the pot is put back into the sea to carry on breeding (but has also had a free meal from the bait whilst in the pot!), as are berried lobsters and crabs. It does not damage the environment the pot is in and sea bed is left unharmed.

CLEARING THE POTS

After sitting on the sea-bed for a minimum of 24 hours, the string of pots is hauled backed aboard. Any old bait remaining is thrown overboard and replaced with the shellfish removed for grading. Anything undersize or unmarketable or of inferior quality is returned alive to the sea. Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly Inshore Fishery & Conservation Areas legislate some of the biggest minimum landing sizes in the country. Minimum landing sizes ensure future stocks by allowing the shellfish to breed at least once before sale. The pots are carefully placed on the boats deck in order of hauling so that they can be shot back overboard in reverse order safely. The hauling and shooting repeats until all that days pots have been cleared, baited and shot back. The smallest boats often work single handed whilst bigger boats will have a dedicated boat skipper and deck crew.

HAPPY HEALTHY

SHELLFISH

Our fishermen work hard on a moving deck to bring us the best quality shellfish. Ashore we treat their catch with the utmost respect to ensure the wealth of vitamins, minerals and taste is retained. A little care goes a long way.

ALIVE & FRESH

Will Harvey has been part of W. Harvey & Sons since 2006. Here he is sorting the crab down at our live shellfish storage tanks. Our oxygenated sea water tanks hold the catch of the day and are a perfect environment for happy, healthy shellfish.